Telegeaph teansmittee



(No Modem H. LYON.

' TELEGRAPH TRANSMITTER.

No. 283,71@ .Patented Aug. 21, 188s.

llllhl Il Il *Hmv NIH L M Vlwes ses: y Ive/v01? for: 55%? KM@ 'UNITEDSTATES PATENT Oie-rios.

HENRY LYON, OF NEWlr YORK, N. YA., ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERCAN POSTALPFLEGE-APH COMPANY.

TELEoRAPH-RANSMITTER SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.283,716, dated August 21, 1883.

Application filed May 18, 1383.

To atl/ whom it may concern:

Beit known that l, HENRY LYON, a citizen oi' the United States, and aresident of New York, in the countyof New York and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements inTelegraph-Transmitters, of p Which the following is a specication.

My invention relates to automatic telegraphtransmittersor` the generalclass in which the simple depressionof a key or lever causes theappropriate number of dots or dashes for any letter of the alphabet, orother character or signal, to be automatically transmitted Withoutfurther volition on the part of the operator. Instruments of this classare now well known. The older forms thereof consist of a cylinderbearing in different longitudinal positions the make and break spacesfor the various letters, and having arrangedbefore or above it acorcause the appropriate makes and breaks of circuit. The cylinder inthis case revolves is being transmitted. In another form of thoapparatus a cylinder carryingall the transmitting, circuit closing andbreaking spaces,

o 3 ing levers at the appropriate times or intervals, is normaliyatrest, but is coupled to a Yconstantly-revolving shaft when any key-leveris depressed at the same time that the transmitting apparatus for theproper letter is set into proper position to transmit the signab Both ofthese arrangements are cumbersome, and admit only of a limited speed oftransmission.

The aim of my invent-ion is to make a transmitter that shall be simpleand effective, and capable of operation at high speeds; and to this endmy invention consists in mounting upon a common constantly-revolvingshaft a 4 5 series of transmitter disks or Wheels,v each provided withsuitable means, whereby it Will, when revolved, produce the appropriatenumber and character of makes and breaks for the signal or characterwhich it is desired to transmit, and a series oi' levers or detects-onefor each disk or Wheel-arranged to normally preresponding number ofkeys, each of Whicl1,so

constantly, and the keys must be kept de' pressed during all the timethat the charactery or suitable devices for acting'on circuit-clos!l (Nomodel.)

vent said disks from moving with the shaft; but when depressed, t`orelease their appropriate disk, so that said disk may move With theshaft andl send the proper signal.

As a preferred manner of carrying out the invention, I propose to employfor each disk a suitable clutch that normally tends to unite the diskand the shaft, and is mounted preferably on the disk, but is heldnormally out 6o of engagement With the shaft by the particulardetent-lever controlling the operation of the disk, so that when thelever is operated or depressed, no matter for how short a time, theclutch will be released and join the disk to the shaft, and the two willrevolve together through a whole revolution, until the clutch resumes aposition Where it may be again engaged by the detenta-lever, which hasin the meantime resumed its normal position. 7o

My invention consists, further, of certain improvements and combinationsof devices for carrying out my invention that will be here= iuaft-ermore particularly specified.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a top vieu7 of the apparatus.Fig. 2 is a crosss'ection on the line 2 2, Fig. l.

A indicates a revolving shaft mounted in suitable bearings, and kept inconstant rotation by any suitable power applied at Wheel B, orotherwise.

CV C C indicate a series of transmitter disks or Wheels mounted looselyon shaft A, and each provided with or constructed to operate suitabledevices, Wherebya predetermined series of makes and breaks, appropriatefor the transmission of a desired signal, may be produced. In thepresent instance each wheel is supposed to transmit the Morse character,indicating one of the letters of the alphabet, and 9o the desired makesand breaks are produced l by means of a spring, D, (one for each disk,)bearing against the edge or face of the disk, which latter is providedWith the usual or proper conducting-spaces, so that when the diskrevolves the proper signal will be trans mitted. The shaft, andtherefore the disks,

IOO

the other pole by binding-post F. The transmitting disks or wheels areeach provided with suitable means, whereby, if the wheel be left free tomove, it Will partake of the movement of shaft A and rotate with it. Inthe` present instance the device by which this is accomplished consistskof a coupling device composed of clutch I, pivoted on the side of thedisk, and having an engaging toe or surface, K, for engagement with thetoothed or other surface of a disk, L, keyed to the shaft A. A spring,M, applied to the arm N of the clutch or coupling lever serves to throwthe toe K against the surface of L when the lever is released, so as tocause the disk and shaft to revolve together, but is prevented from sodoing by a detent or catch, with which the arm N engages, and which iscarried or operated by a key or detent-lever. The key or detent-leversare indicated at P, and are pivoted or fulcrumed on a suitable frame orsupport, and provided with retractor-springs. In the present instancethe spring is a spring, T, bearing on a fork, S, attached to the end ofthe lever. The spring T also carries a catch or detent, R, which latteris normally depressed by the spring, so that when there is no pressureupon the opposite end of the lever, the catch or detent R will be in thepath `of and engage with the clutch or coupling-lever, so as to hold thelatter out of action; but when the key or detent lever is operatedagainst the pressure of spring T, the detent R will be raised. v

The general operation is as follows: Vhile the keys or levers I) are atrest, and the shaft ms revolving in the direction of the arrow,

Fig. 2, the arms of theclutch-levers will be in engagement with thecatches It, so that the disks cannot revolve with the shaft. The slighttendency of the disks to revolve, owing to their frictional bearing onthe shaft, will moreover tend to draw the arms N against the catches ordetents R, thus raising the toes or clutch-surfaces from the friction ortoothed disks against the action of the springs M. The springs Dnormally rest on insulatingspaces on the disks. If now any key bedepressed, ihe catch R will be raised, the arm N will be released, andthe spring M will immediately bring the clutch or coupler intoconnection with the shaft, and the disk will make a whole revolutionwith the shaft, until the arm N comes against the stop or catch It,(which has in the meantime resumed its normal position, owing to theremoval of the operators finger from the key or detent leven) whereuponthe wheel or diskwill be immediately stopped and uncoupled from theshaft. The shaft may be revolved at high speed and signals transmittedwith great rapidity, since under this condition no special care need betaken by the operator to prolong the intervals between the operation ofsuccessive keys.

I do not limit myself to any particularkind .of lclutch orcouplingdevice nor to any particular form thereof, the gist of my inventionconsisting in the combination wherein a constantly-revolving shaft isemployed with the series of independent transmitter-disks mountedloosely thereon and normally held from rotation therewith by acorresponding series of keys or detent-levers, but allowed to rotatewith the shaft upon the operation of the key appropriate to theparticular disk whose signal is to be sent; nor do I limit myself to theform or kind of transmitterdisk or wheel and circuit-closing spring,since other devices might be employed for transmitting the predeterminedsignal by the rotation of a wheel or disk.

What I claim as my invention is l. The combination, with each of aseries of independent transmitter wheels or disks mounted on a commonconstantly-revolving shaft, of a transmitting key or lever provided witha stop or detentt that normally prevents the disk from turning with theshaft, but releases said wheelto allow the shaft to, turn it upon theoperation of the key or lever.

2. The combination, with each of a series of transmitter wheels or disksmounted on a common revolving shaft, of a catch orI detentlever thatnormally holds said wheel from revolving with the shaft, and a couplingdevice for coupling the wheel and shaft normally disengaged, butreleased to allow the wheel and shaft to revolve together upon thedepression of the detent-lever.

3. The combination, with the constantly-revolving shaft, of thetransmitter wheel or disk carrying a coupling device,whereby thewheelmay be coupled to the shaft so as to revolve with it, and a detent-leverprovided with a catch or stop normally inthe path of the coup- IOO lingdevice, whereby the wheel may be simnltaneously uncoupled and stopped.

4. The combination, substantially as described, of a series ofindependent transmitter wheels or disks mounted on a common constantlyrevolving shaft, and each provided with `means whereby it may be made torevolve with the shaft when released, and a series of detent keysorlevers, one for each disk, that normally hold said disks fromrevolving with the shaft, as and for the purpose described.

5. The combination, substantially as -described, of a series ofindependent transmitter disks or wheels mounted on a common revolvingshaft, a coupling device on each wheel that tends to unite it with theshaft, and a series of detent keys or levers normally engaging with saidcoupling devices, as and for the purpose described.

6. The combination, with a series of transmitter disks or wheels mountedon a common revolving shaft, a clutch-lever, one for each disk, mountedthereon and normally tending to engagewith the shaft, and a series oflkeys or levers, each provided with a catch or detent arranged in thepath of the clutch-lever for its appropriate transmitter-disk.

7. The combination, with a series of transmitter disks or wheels mountedon a common IIO revolving' Shaft, :L clutolblevel on each Wheel `uponsuch shaft, clutch-levers, one for each provided with an 'engaging toeor surface for Wheel, and a series of detent or transmitter engagingwith amevolving disk orsurfaeeupon levers. the shaft, at springnormally-tending to .pro- Signed at New York, in the county of New 15 5duce snohengagement, and an arm extending York and State of N ew York7this 17th day of from the clutch-lever and moving in the path May. A. D.1883.

f of a. stop or catch operatedbyadetent lever or T l T T T key, es andfor the purpose described. HEB RX 'LX OL' 8. The combination,substantially as devVitnessesz 1o seribedfeseries oftransmitter-Wheelsmount- THOS. TooMEY,

ed on a common shaft, @series of toothed disks XVM. H. BLAIN.

